


I Won't Get Through One More Day Without Kissing You Square

by dreamsinbabyblue



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Attempt at Humor, Best Friends, Cute, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, Happy Ending, Implied taeten, Kissing, M/M, a bit of angst, oh and renhyuck togehter!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-13 02:40:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28521033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamsinbabyblue/pseuds/dreamsinbabyblue
Summary: Renjun might be really fucking tired of their shenanigans at this point, but even he – while being the Central Processing Unit of this godforsaken friend group, would agree that this turn of events had been Absolutely Unforeseen.Or the fic where the dreamies learn a thing or two about meddling.
Relationships: Lee Jeno/Zhong Chen Le
Comments: 9
Kudos: 20
Collections: Love Dream 2020





	I Won't Get Through One More Day Without Kissing You Square

**Author's Note:**

  * For [eab5c5](https://archiveofourown.org/users/eab5c5/gifts).



> hey! so this was written for [jewel!](https://twitter.com/aeclandia?s=20/)
> 
> i really hope you enjoy reading it just as much as i enjoyed writing this <3
> 
> also, happy valentine's day! love y'all :D

#### December

“How are we even going to make this work?” 

Na Jaemin didn’t have to look up from the Word document pulled up on the screen of his laptop, containing the first draft of his six-page Biochemistry essay (which wasn’t even halfway done yet, you see) to understand who had spoken these words. It could not quite be anyone but Mark Lee, his intellectual best friend, Aeronautical Engineering major, and the only one amongst his friends who actually had a considerable amount of impulse- control and comprehension skills and little to no alertness. 

“I am sure we will figure someth—“

“Oh my God, can they stop already?”, rang out a very _aggravated_ whisper, no doubt that of Huang Renjun, physically tiny but agitated most of the time, self-proclaimed brains of the group, Psychology and Literature double-major.

Currently seated enclosed within the arms of his boyfriend Lee Donghyuck. Donghyuck-- who was pretty smart in a more mischievous way, Business major and definitely the least trustworthy out of this not-so-little troop of childhood friends. 

“I really just want those two to fuck as soon as possible.”

Oh, and was it mentioned that Donghyuck did NOT have anything which could even remotely be termed as a brain-to-mouth filter? Yeah. 

“I am aware of the sight before us being very infuriating, but Hyuck can you please refrain from using such contaminated terms to describe your long-term frustration regarding them? You know, just because one of ‘those two’ has been my best friend-cum-bro since when we were practically babies. It is truly disturbing to think of him engaging in anything not wholesome. So please, for the love of Mary, _don’t_.”

And this little oration had been delivered by Park Jisung, the pink-haired baby of the group, who was not so baby in his bodily proportions, freestyle dancing machine and Neuroscience major.

Also, as he mentioned oh so accurately, forever best friend of the green-haired boy sitting in the other corner of Jaemin and Mark’s living room, evidently too invested in the YouTube video being shown to him to even pay the slightest heed to the discussion going on about his own self. 

Yes, the cabbage-head clad in an ancient Guns n’ Roses t-shirt and jeans with huge holes in them, was one of ‘those two’. 

Yes, the dark-haired taller boy dressed in a faded university hoodie and obnoxious orange sweats is the other of ‘those two’. He is also the one showing cabbage-head the seemingly invigorating video on his own phone. 

Yes, the other five boys can’t get through a set of twenty-four hours without lamenting about just how _powerful_ those two look together, and what a _wonderful_ couple they would make and how they should totally fuck like a pair of rabbits.

Okay, that was Donghyuck. 

But yes, the apparent chemistry between Zhong Chenle, high-pitched and bubbly Mathematics major, and Lee Jeno, low-pitched and reserved Quantitative Econometrics major seemed to be the only subject which could keep their friends talking for very long hours.

Aimless as it was. 

One particularly loud but gleeful shriek from Chenle snaps Jaemin back into reality.

This time, he can not help but pull the lid of his laptop a little more than halfway down, forcefully pushing it away with his sore hands, just enough for him to stretch his ridiculously long arms over the edge of the new carpet, lying on his stomach as he had been. 

“I just think that----“ 

“Hey guys, do you think we could go for brunch on Saturday? I mean, we really haven’t gone out altogether in ages, right?”, Jeno stood up from his spot on the overstuffed armchair, squished with Chenle, rolling his shoulders in an attempt to loosen the knots, and his words, although muffled, hadn’t escaped anyone’s line of hearing. 

No one speaks up for a moment. And then another. And one more. 

Chenle is looking at them with bright eyes. 

”Uhm, I am afraid I will have to take a raincheck, uh y-you see, I was planning to do a good and thorough winter cleaning”, Renjun blinks owlishly, “so yeah… I will be cleaning the house on Saturday.”

Renjun shoots a quick glance around the room, and it doesn’t take much time before four other pairs of eyes widen ever so slightly, in probable realization. About what he wanted them to do. 

“And as I hope you are aware, I can’t just leave Junnie to do all the work, right? I-I think I am going to help him in the…housework, yes.” 

“Hyuck, are you sure you’re talking about yourself ?” Jeno’s eyebrows seem to be hidden under his hairline, and his expression screams disbelief because ‘Donghyuck’ and ‘cleaning’ don’t go together in a legible sentence. 

“Since I am the only one among us who can actually be useful in any possible way, I will help the two of them with my impeccable cleaning skills, and just supervise the work, overall, so I will be busy as well”, Mark leans forward to circle an arm around Renjun’s shoulders as he utters these words, and Jaemin can literally visualize the latter shaking his head internally.  
He can practically hear Renjun let out a string of expletives under his breath as Jaemin opens his own mouth to speak and says, “You saw me struggling with the Biochem essay all throughout the afternoon. Prof. Bae just cannot stop breathing down my neck and I really need to complete it by Monday. I will not be able to afford even a couple of hours of slacking off”, punctuating his pitiful speech with one of his billion-dollar pouts. 

Jisung has to resist his best friend’s whining,” We never hang out all of us together anymore. It is embarrassing to admit but I do miss you guys” and his sulking after he says, ”Oh I am so sorry Lele, but Ten and Taeyong have er, you know- invited me over for lunch after an, uhm, extra class on Saturday, and you know just how weak I am for our parents.” 

Jeno’s smile has faded,”Wow, I see how it is. Six years of friendship and this is how you respond when we ask to hang out. Lovely.”

The other five break into a set of _hey, it’s really not like that man_ s and _we would if we could_ s before a collective, resonating---

“Say, why don’t you two get brunch together?”

Yet another deafening silence and then Chenle is rearranging the pout on his face into a wide grin and talking rapidly,”Uh, no I think I will pass this one. Listening to your reasons for absence did remind me of the drafts of all those assignments waiting to be edited and finalized. So, I think I will spend my weekend fruitfully too. We could always go out some other time.”

Jeno doesn’t miss a single beat,” So true, I think I will get started on those practice papers I had printed out on Saturday. You know, catching up with coursework and getting ready for finals and all?”

Chenle nods enthusiastically before quickly collecting both his own phone and Jeno’s and getting up from his spot on the arm of the armchair before saying,” I am leaving now, I have a meeting with Shuhua in thirty minutes. Jeno, you will drop me off, right?”

Jeno has his eye-smile on, “Of course, I had promised I would”, and then the two are bidding them goodbye and walking out to the hallway and putting on their formerly hung coats and neatly placed shoes and opening the door and disappearing into the piquant, evening air. 

It is, very expectantly, Renjun who lets out an inhumane groan just as they hear the door close. 

“Why are they so annoyingly allergic to going out together? Like? They keep on dancing around each other all day long and keep flirting unknowingly but they don’t have any intentions of doing anything about it. Make it make sense man, this is getting progressively nonsensical.” 

“Ooh, my baby snapped!”

“Shut your useless mouth, will you, Hyuck? I’m irritated as fuck, as it is.”

“Honestly, though, it is really clear that they have less than strictly platonic feelings for each other, but they just don’t seem to be ready for that conversation yet”, Mark does what he is best at, mediating. Because this is certainly not the time for them to start squabbling. 

“I will tell you what, we just need to meddle now. There seems to be no way out of this idiotic problem. We have to get them to confess to each other. I don’t see any other solution for them to get together, and we have to intervene. As soon as possible”, Jaemin knows meddling never helps anyone, and certainly not a bunch of clueless college boys, but he knows he is right about this. 

Jeno and Chenle just need an incentive, an external force, for them to get together. 

“You know what, I have had enough”, Jisung stomps over to where he had left his phone on the coffee table.

Grabbing the device with his bony fingers, he quickly unlocks it and pulls up the calendar application, beckoning the rest of them over. 

With knitted brows, they all hover over the excessively cracked screen of the phone and pay attention to Jisung, because they had never seen the boy this driven regarding anything but dance. 

“So, as you can see, today is the 12th. We need to get the two together, or at least make them aware of their own feelings within two months. Sound good?”

Donghyuck squints his eyes, “Do you mean Valentine’s Day?”

Jisung looks kind of excited,” Exactly! And we will have to come up with a few plans of action, preferably within this week itself.”

Mark looks too deep in thought,”Are we really sure though? I mean – Jeno?”

They all know what Mark is trying to imply. The silence tickles the back of their necks until Jaemin is nodding his head a bit too enthusiastically,”Yes, now, after four years, Jeno deserves it. And he will get it, we will see to it.”

Renjun stands up straight, sighing when he stretches his arms, “Well then, seems like this Saturday isn’t going to waste. We will meet up on that day, yeah? Oh and, which brings me to your lousy, disgusting excuses, well, other than those of Jaemin and Jisungie. God, you really are incapable ---“

A yellow cushion to his face cuts him off abruptly. For good.

* * *

It is one whole week before Renjun finds himself standing awkwardly in front of Chenle and Jisung’s apartment, knowing his boyfriend and Mark were probably not faring any better, standing in front of Jeno’s studio. But he knows they have to do this, both for Jeno and Chenle and for the conservation of their own sanity. 

As he rang the bell, he found himself praying for Jisung to be ready too. The majority depends on that idiot for now. 

The door swung open and there stood _that idiot_ , wearing a tee which had more holes than intact material and baggy SpongeBob-printed shorts. His eyes widened for a split second before he caught himself and moved aside to let Renjun in. There was a glint in his puffy eyes and Renjun was sure this was not going to be breezy. 

“He is in the kitchen, trying to figure out what he should cook today.”  
Jisung’s voice was very low and a bit hoarse, as he led the way, and Renjun couldn’t help but wonder if he had been trying to hit high notes, as he often liked to do. 

They went through the airy living and dining space to the kitchen, and sure enough, there stood an evidently preoccupied Zhong Chenle, in ratty shorts and an equally ratty t-shirt, his only clothing of dignity being the green, gingham apron he had had since he was sixteen. He was leaning against the marble-top counter, eyes fixated on what seemed like a cookery book. 

Renjun cleared his throat. He did that a lot these days. And no, he was not coming down with anything- it was only an easy way to catch someone’s attention. 

As he had hoped, Chenle looked up from his book and furrowed his eyebrows together, possibly trying to think of a reason why Renjun could show up at their place at 10 in the morning, that too, on a Thursday, which is usually packed for the latter. 

“Hey Lele, how are you?”

The aforementioned boy narrowed his eyes slightly before grabbing his orange coffee mug from where it was on the counter, probably empty, and poses a simple question. 

“What are you doing here? Don’t you have like- a whole panoply of classes on Thursdays?”

“Wow I come to check up on my favorite Chinese boy and this is the disrespect I have to put up with.”

“Why don’t you cut to the chase already Jun? We all know just how much you hate being disturbed on your busy days, so yes, you coming to ‘check up’ on me voluntarily is kinda weird.”

“Okay, it might be so for you”, Renjun settled down on one of the barstools, right in front of Chenle’s face, “but it isn’t so for me. So make me some coffee and let’s talk.” Chenle shook his head feebly and let out a sigh, picking out a black mug from the cabinet and holding it under the Philips coffee machine. 

Jisung had noiselessly maneuvered his way through and propped down on the chair next to Renjun, an apple in his hand which had been conjured out of God knows where. He bit into it, a light trail of juice dribbling down his chin before humming thoughtfully. 

“Say, Renjun, isn’t Jeno looking a bit too fine these days?”

_Oh_. So they are plunging right into it. Renjun couldn’t help but smile to himself, seeing Jisung this proactive. 

Renjun exaggerates the sweetness in his voice,”Yes, I’ve heard from Jaemin that he has been hitting the gym more often than necessary nowadays. He looks all buffed up! Wonder if there is any particular reason behind his…er- activities.”

Their lines of vision have zeroed in upon Chenle, who had filled the cup with coffee and was humming a song to himself, as he stirred it lightly, although Renjun liked it unsweetened and black. One of Chenle’s habits. 

“So what do you think of that Lele?” 

Jisung’s voice came out too loud and Renjun, bless his observatory skills, had noticed what happened next. 

The change in Chenle’s movement. He had stopped stirring, albeit for a split-second. 

A blink of an eye and Renjun was sure Jisung had missed it. _What the fuck was that_. 

Chenle took the stirrer out, and placed it in the sink, as if he hadn’t just frozen up rather latently. But not latent enough for Renjun. 

He held the cup out for Renjun to take – “What do I think of what?” 

His voice was soft, very soft and Renjun could not help but wonder if this idea of Jaemin’s was really it. Were they finally going to get Chenle to admit something? At least? 

Renjun scrambled for words – “Oh, you know, we were just curious, and we know that curiosity- uhm killed the cat… but knowledge really did bring it back so we just wanted to be informed – “

_I am rambling_. “You are rambling.”

The air in the apartment had never felt this palpable before. It was a spacious apartment and the fact that Renjun was feeling _this_ suffocated in here, was kind of concerning. Just a little bit. 

“What do you think of Jeno?”

There. Trust Jisung to pour water all over Renjun’s intricately woven web of complex excuses and circular, recurring conversations. 

“ – ‘s fineness. And his feasible romantic conquests, if you will.”

Renjun thinks the hardwood floor looks beguiling. He wonders what a huge number of trees must have been felled in order to create such an enrapturing apartment floor. He feels sorry for those dear trees, and ashamed on behalf of the insensitive, repulsive, apathetic and foul human beings. Human beings are fucking dumbasses – 

“He has always been attractive. Yes, nowadays he does look a bit too captivating, and who knows – he might be having someone to impress. And it is time too. Though I’m certain he does not need to thirst-trap them into liking him back. The way he carries himself should suffice.”

_Oh wow_. This is working. This is working. Renjun hits the woah internally, and pats himself on the back very discreetly. 

“But he has always been like that. Our trustworthy and reliable friend – the rock in our group, loving quietly, embodying the line about actions speaking louder than words. I am glad to have him as one of my closest friends. Right?”

Renjun can only stare at him in dismay, and from the corner of his eye, he can see Jisung rubbing his hands over his face. _Friend, one of my closest friends_ are hurting them more than they should.

_Why are we so emotionally and physically invested in whatever tomfoolery these two are engaging in? That’s right, best friends since high school. Ha._

“Why so many questions about Jeno today? Is there something I should be knowing?”, Chenle’s gaze is piercing and sharp, one eyebrow raised in his usual sassy manner. 

“Nah, just a general data collection about Jeno being in love. We have already asked Mark and Jaemin. And you were next on our list.”

Chenle’s brow comes down, but his gaze does not soften. “If you say so, hm.”

Jisung senses the tension and apparently the only thing he could come up with to allay it was – “Anyone Jeno would set his eye upon is a lucky person, right?”

“Definitely luckier than me, I would say”, and the only thing Renjun can do is sabotaging his boyfriend of two and a half years. True love, it is. 

At this, Chenle breaks into one of his bigger grins, “Hyuck would really not approve of your words. Now, Jisung, would you like to eat steamed vermicelli rolls today?”

* * *

Donghyuck and Mark had bickered all the way through the quiet, tree-lined neighborhood to Jeno’s seventh-floor studio, trying to detract themselves – balls of nerves as they were. The former wondered if calling Renjun would help with it, but decides against it as he remembered that he was in a similar situation, trying to tackle the watchful nature of the logistician asshole that was Chenle. 

They stood in front of the door which had recently been painted a dark grey, trying to decipher just why they were doing what they were doing. The sighs they let out as they recollected Jaemin’s threatening smile while they were leaving the apartment, were almost simultaneous. 

Mark entered the digits which made up the code for Jeno’s door, which was simply a combination of his parents’ birth months. This was something Jeno had given Jaemin, just in case of an emergency which might require its use. This was one, wasn’t it? 

The door opened with a beep and Donghyuck could already feel his palms getting clammy. He wiped them on the back of his jeans and entered the apartment behind Mark, closing the door behind him. Jeno was in his well-worn workout clothes, holding one dumbbell in each hand, looking right at them. And he did not look pleased. Not a bit. 

“I think I should gift both of you dictionaries for your next birthdays”, Jeno puts the dumbbells down, grabbing a bottle of water and chugging some down swiftly, “Since it does seem like you have never learnt the accurate definition of the word ‘emergency’ in school. How does that sound?”

“Rude”, Donghyuck retorts, flopping down on the yellow couch.

“We came here to have a nice, fruitful discussion”, says Mark, joining the former on the couch. Jeno can only roll his eyes and take the position for push-ups, “You can make tea or coffee if you want.”

He starts exercising yet again. All Mark and Donghyuck are doing is stare at the bare walls decorated with the occasional abstract painting, and think about the script they had come up with on their own. The silence is pretty long and anomalously awkward, accompanied only by a few infrequent grunts from Jeno. Donghyuck keeps nudging Mark, as he had been extremely confident about being the only one who would be able to carry the conversation on his back, while they were still walking.  
One particularly hard nudge which sent Mark almost toppling over to the floor and – 

“Chenle cooks well.”

_What the fuck?_

Jeno pauses for less than a nanosecond before humming in assumed agreement. 

“Mark – “

“I mean, he cooks really well. Almost like a Michelin chef, don’t you think?”

Jeno tries to answer, probably, “Yes he – “

“You think he is taking culinary classes? I think he is, right? Also, he looks … er – uhm r-really cute these days. I mean, he has always been attractive but nowadays, what with his ch-ch-chiselled jawline” – Donghyuck is horrified to see that Mark is struggling to read things out from where they had been scribbled onto his right palm, black ink smudged, the writing way too squiggly – (Jaemin had pulled Mark’s palm and written a few words with his favorite pen, “Here are the points you need to mention to Jeno, ok? Right in between casual conversations. Be subtle, please.”) _how on earth is this being subtle_ – “and his high cheekbones which are more prom?! Prominent, yes, now – he looks all grown-up.”

By now, Jeno had completed the set of push-ups, and was drying himself down with a small hand-towel, his jaw set and his eyes shut. Donghyuck doesn’t know what to think or how to compensate for the damage Mark had created in a matter of minutes. 

“What he wants – “

“You like him”, Jeno’s eyes were open now, an indecipherable emotion flickering in them, and his arms were crossed.

“I like him? Of course I like him. He is Chenle, my friend of more than five years, of course I do”, right now Donghyuck wants to take a sledgehammer to the entirety of Mark’s skull, crack it open and just see what treasure he has been hiding in there all this while, instead of a functioning human brain.

“I mean, you have a crush on Chenle.”

At this, Mark’s eyes widen comically and he starts to flail his arms around, the way he does whenever he is borderline nervous and scrambling for appropriate words, “ What? Me- crush on Lele? N-no, how is that possible, no ew, no, he is my little brother, my cuppy cake, you get it, I cant have a crush on my brother from another mother, that’s just disgust – “

Donghyuck grits his teeth, “Certainly does seem like it”, and when Mark turns around to look at him with the same wide eyes, he shakes his head not so discreetly, trying to show him just how disappointed he was with their ex- high school valedictorian. 

“Oh”, Mark does what he always does, whenever he is flustered. Laugh. And clap his hands like a seal. “I wanted to say that I think Chenle is trying to… uhm impress something.”

The look that Jeno gives them can not be called anything but one of incredulity. 

“So-someone, I mean. A human, yeah.”

Donghyuck has had enough,”What do you think about it, Jeno?”

There is a long halt. _Was that okay?_

Jeno sits down on one of the white stools in the living room and nods softly. His eyes are cast on the floor, and this is making Donghyuck uneasy. 

“He really must be growing up. Why do I feel like a proud brother? It only seems like yesterday that Jisung invited a blushing Chinese kid to have lunch with us and he just wouldn’t speak unless spoken to. Look at him now – creating a life for himself. I’m happy. For him, I mean. That does not mean I will – er we will stop taking care of him. He will always be our baby, alongside Jisung, hm?”

Such an emotional, nostalgic articulation. Very beautiful. But Donghyuck couldn’t help but frown when he heard the word _brother._

_Fuck semantics and terminologies. Fuck this mission._

As soon as the last thought invades his mind, however, he finds himself shaking his head, and is surprised to realize just how involved they already are. This can not just go to waste. He glances at Mark, who is very expectedly, rendered speechless. 

Jeno chuckles softly, but why does it sound so strained, and lifts his eyes, searching their faces – “But why so many questions about Chenle today? Or his interest in ‘someone’, as you said?”

Mark inhales sharply. Donghyuck gulps loudly before opening his mouth, “Uh- like, you know, we were doing a general uh congregation, yeah, of information… about Chenle’s possible love life. I mean, we have to know, right? He is our baby, as you said, we need to like look out for him, isn’t that so ?”

Jeno nods again, although he does not look very convinced, but he is probably too tired from his intense workout to push anymore. 

“Right, so y’all want anything to drink now? Not alcohol, mind you, it’s barely 10 am now.”

* * *

It is Christmas.

It’s fucking Christmas and all they’ve done is persuade themselves to not lose hope. Renjun looks around himself. The group has gathered at Jeno’s apartment, sitting cross-legged on the carpeted floor, in a circle, chattering excitedly. No, _bellowing_. The heterosexual couple living next door might be measuring the pros and cons of filing a noise complaint by now. Donghyuck is glowing next to Renjun, an arm draped over his shoulders, pulling him flush against his own side. Jeno and Chenle are sitting across from them, next to each other, contributing to the cacophony. Renjun notices Jaemin sending him not so surreptitious glances, urging him to ask the two about – 

“Hey guys, this is going to sound really weird but guess what I got yesterday?”, Chenle’s current line of sight is really close to Renjun’s face and he can already feel himself getting jumpy. Donghyuck seems to be frozen and has stopped rubbing concentric circles on Renjun’s upper arm. The rest are not flourishing any better, in any way. 

Chenle doesn’t even notice any of that, oblivion being his middle name, turning to look at Jeno with shiny eyes and continues without breaking his flow, “I had totally forgotten about it haha… the doorbell kept on going off at like ass o’ clock in the morning and my slumber was destroyed. So I went and opened the door to see who the idiot was and there was no one! I was about to close the door when my eyes went to the floor, and oh my, there sat a perfectly huge bouquet of flowers at my feet, complete with a little note too! I mean, I kinda freaked out.”

Renjun can see Mark gulping nervously and no wonder, the aforementioned bouquet had left an enormous dent in his pocket. The negligible portion (he was left with) of the salary he got from his part-time job probably wouldn’t be lasting till the day of payment in the next month. 

Jisung nudges his best friend, “You didn’t tell me anything about it?”

“I told you, it slipped my mind.”

“Sooooo the note? What was in there? Anything interesting?”, Jaemin is wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. 

Chenle looks sheepish, scratching his nape - “I mean, I took it in and kept it in my room, but on second thought I got kinda scared of it being a possible bomb and literally just left it on my desk and went about my day. And I forgot all about it. In the evening, however, I remembered it and went to see the note. I was standing by the window and the breeze was just really cold and I was holding it in my hand and – and it flew away.”

The silence was one of untainted confusion. How hilarious. 

Jisung looks at Donghyuck in order to seek comfort, as he knew that only the latter would be able to understand how useless and horrified he felt, them having been the writers of Chenle’s lost note. (Not that they had put in any extra effort; they had just copied down whatever romantic lines they had found on Pinterest). The latter purses his lips and nods his head woefully. 

Chenle has lost it? how the fuc – 

“What?”, Renjun can’t recognize his own voice as he voices his thought. His voice sounds drained and a bit too loud.

Chenle looks obviously puzzled, “What, what?”

Donghyuck acts fast, covering Renjun’s mouth before he can say anything else and reveal everything, “Nothing, Jun just cannot process the fact that a note flew away through your window from your hand, I mean it does sound like a bit of a stretch.”

“Okay but – “

“No it doesn’t” – Jeno says firmly, “Also, the exact same thing happened with me yesterday, too.”

Chenle does not look offended anymore, the lines on his forehead relaxed and he nods, encouraging Jeno to go on. 

“Like...I- I got a bouquet too, yesterday, I mean, and there was a note in mine as well.”

“Wow, that is creepy!”, Chenle draws out the e. 

“Yeah and the note was a love letter? No, not letter, note, love note, yeah. And God, the writing was so odd.”

It is Donghyuck’s turn to gulp, because yes, he was the one who had spent a big chunk of his own salary to buy Jeno’s bouquet and he actually tries to use his voice, “ What did it” – he had to clear his throat – “What did it say ?”

“Uhm how do I even put this? Like, the first part of the note was filled with the most abhorrent spelling mistakes and second-grader grammar and the vocabulary was absurd. But then, the second part was literally Harvard language, Oxford grammar and impeccable spelling. I couldn’t register half of that 18th century poetic sap. Also, the handwriting, if looked at closely, seemed to be different too! I have no idea who could send me something like that or why they would send something like that? It is in my trashcan now, anyway.”

Mark broke into a series of coughs, which sounded super fake even to himself, Donghyuck.exe seemed to have stopped working, Jisung was wearing a purely dismal expression on his face and both Jaemin and Renjun looked like they had been forced to shoot their own children, as the last two were the writers of the first and second parts of Jeno’s note, respectively. 

Chenle, however, looks astonished, like a child in an amusement park, “You think my note had been a confession too?”

Jeno clenches and unclenches his jaw, shrugging indifferently, “Possibly. Who knows?”

And suddenly, the tension can be cut with a butter-knife. 

Jisung stands up from the floor and stretches his arms, groaning loudly. The rest of them watch him expectantly. 

“My God, y’all watching me like I am Santa. No, I literally got each one of you underwear because I know yours have huge holes in them. Now get up, let’s open our gifts and start our Home Alone marathon.”

Chenle smiles brightly and gets up too, slipping his arm through his best friend’s, “Sungie’s right, let’s go and open them. Also, I’m starving, Jeno, have you cooked? Or should we just order something tasty?”

* * *

#### January 

Only nineteen days to Valentine’s Day. 

Till now, they have had a few crushing losses, which if, looked at collectively…don’t seem so few anymore. Jeno and Chenle are still bros, buddies and homies (who are unhealthily obsessed to giggling around each other at the most solemn hours), Donghyuck is getting clingier to Renjun everyday, Jisung just wants his bestie to get what he deserves, Jaemin just wants his cup of souls of the dead and Mark is really…disoriented. 

To say they are thriving would be a mere understatement.

This must be what _peace and prosperity_ looks like, Renjun lets himself think as Jaemin’s souls of the dead escape their prison and spread themselves all over Jisung’s thighs and Chenle bursts into his shrill laughter, teeth on full display, and leans heavily on Jeno’s shoulder, trying to catch his breath and Jeno keeps looking at him with that fond look in his eyes and Donghyuck pretends to gag while jabbing Mark with his pen, at the same fucking time.

_Blithering fools, all of them._

He taps his boyfriend’s shoulder and Donghyuck turns around to pay attention to him, letting Mark breathe for a fraction of a second. 

“We need to ask them, you know? As soon as possible. Tell me how we can do that.”

Donghyuck hums thoughtfully, pulling Renjun to his chest, and his low voice sends vibrations through the latter’s body. 

“You and Mark should ask Jeno – take him to the mall or something. And… I think Jisungie and Jaemin will ask Lele – he has asked them to have brunch with him day after tomorrow. So yeah, that’s settled, I think.”

Donghyuck smiles, like the sun hung on a blue cloudless sky, and Renjun leans upward to connect their lips together. As he hears Chenle _ooh_ and _aah_ and the rest grouse as usual, he feels even more determined to help his baby Lele have his own happy ending as well. No matter what.

* * *

Sure enough, there Renjun was, sitting next to Mark, in front of the trial rooms at a reputable apparel store in the mall, as Jeno took his own sweet time trying on two pairs of jeans and three very similar tees, on a particularly windy Friday. 

“How do we bring the conversation around to the subject?”

Renjun raises an eyebrow, a small pout on his face and inhales sharply, “Can’t we just, I don’t know – dive right into it? I mean it’s barely a fortnight away. Besides, we are all adults, not high school students anymore, so I guess it won’t be inappropriate to ask him about it, hm?”

Mark seems to consider his for a second, before nodding his head rapidly and pulling out his phone to busy himself with something. 

It is not needed, however, as Jeno walks out less than thirty seconds later, his arms full of clothes, but he was clothed in his original hoodie and jeans. 

“So?”, Mark has already put his phone away.

“Yeah, I think I am gonna get these. Much needed as they were”, Jeno is smiling at them, and even after all these years of friendship, Renjun still has no idea as to how Jeno sees when he is smiling like that. 

They move over to the billing counter and Jeno takes his card out to pay, before asking for an eco-friendly carry bag and walking out, leading the pair, after the whole process is complete. 

Jeno turns around to face them, “Up for some chicken nuggets?”

“Only if you are paying”, replies Renjun, because yes, he is petty like that. 

Jeno lets out a breath of a laughter and shakes his head, “Well I guess I don’t have a choice, now, do I ?”

And that’s how they find themselves sitting at the back of the McDonald’s in the mall itself, sipping huge glasses of coke and digging into three boxes of nuggets. 

The silence amongst them is comfortable as they keep chewing peacefully. Renjun takes a moment to arrange his thoughts before lifting his head to look at Jeno’s head of dark hair. 

“Jeno.” 

Mark chokes on a nugget and he chokes hard. Probably didn’t expect Renjun to start so soon. He coughs violently, his face getting frighteningly red and although Renjun is annoyed at being interrupted, he thumps him on the back and Jeno holds Mark’s glass up for him to sip. He calms down after a few minutes, finally, after worrying not only his friends but also the small number of customers occupying the other tables. 

When he turns to face Renjun, however, he is met with a less-than pleased expression and hurriedly tries to make things right, “So, Jun, you were uh saying?”

Jeno’s eyes search Renjun’s face, a questioning look in them. 

Renjun clears his throat (yes a habit of his) and starts once again, “Yeah. So, Jeno?” _oh sweet Jesus my voice sounds too cautious –_

Now, the addressed boy’s eyebrows are furrowed and he nods encouragingly, urging Renjun to continue. 

“Uhm I- I had a question?” 

That comes out a question itself and Jeno replies with an impatient “Shoot!”

“Do you like, do you think you have a – a date for 14th? Like a valentine?”

Before Jeno can even open his mouth to provide any answer, Renjun feels the abrupt need to explain and he lets out a jumbled sentence, “Yeah – I mean – Mark and I were talking about Valentine’s and – and I guess I asked him too? Yeah, yeah I did. He said he doesn’t, though. And so, now I am interrogating you?”

“Interro – “

“Oh yes, I know Mark, my choice of words was horrible. Asking, I meant, asking. And yes, right, Jeno, answer.”

Jeno looks painfully skeptical and utterly befuddled. 

_I guess I am no better than the rest of the idiots, after all_. Renjun was more than ready to either dig his own grave right here in the tiled floor of a stuffy McDonald’s in a mall in the heart of the town or just pick up his box of nuggets and walk out dramatically and honestly the second option would be a bit more acceptable but then he might have to face – 

“No.”

Jeno’s raspy voice snaps Renjun out of his important internal monologue and back into reality and the latter blinks his eyes a good number of times before realizing that neither of the two options would be necessary. _Guess I am fab- fucking- ulous, after all_. 

It is Mark who solidifies his last guess as he goes, “No? No, what?”

Renjun can’t help but roll his eyes, “He means he does not have a valentine”, now he treads carefully,”Why though Jeno? Any specific reason? I mean, it has been four years since your last...er – romantic entanglement?”

Jeno’s first and last relationship had been a field full of flowers, stardust, wild like the ocean, bright like the April sun, a tempest of all the romantic songs out there, making him feel disconnected from the world, light and floating; he had fallen too hard. 

And it broke him. It left him wailing and howling when she left him, claiming to have ‘fallen out of love’. It left the imprints of a metal claw grasping his heart, which was already too swollen with love to be restrained anymore. It bled. It was pain. Pure, unblemished pain. 

But they knew. They knew she had never been ‘in love’ with their beloved eye-smile boy. They detested her, they found themselves cursing her out regularly, but Jeno had not listened. He had known love to be beautiful only. He would not believe their words when they would try telling him that it was cruelty. Love does not just hurt. It kills. It leaves a chest full of fucking thorns, which just do not stop prickling your lungs until there are holes in them, and instead of air, they are filled with bile. 

The aftereffect of the whole fiasco, even after a whole year, had caused Renjun to hesitate when Donghyuck had finally poured out all his feelings and wants regarding him and he had asked the latter for a few days before he could give an answer. Donghyuck had given him so, without a word, as he probably knew the reason behind Renjun’s request. In those few days, Renjun had thought harder than he ever had in his entire life, and had talked to both his mother and Chenle. They had both told him that despite it completely his own decision to make, they would want him to reply positively. After all, had he not known the boy basically his whole life? Wasn’t he the person whom Renjun called his best friend, although they bickered at every opportunity they got? Hadn’t Donghyuck mustered the courage to tell him what he felt in great detail, everything he had ever wanted to hear, in spite of having been yet another witness to the incident? He must’ve had the same doubts too, right? 

Renjun should not keep him waiting, Chenle had whispered, engulfing him into a bear hug, _Donghyuck needs you and you need him_. 

And so Renjun had let go, he had submitted to the cries of his own heart. It had been a leap of faith. But it had not gone to waste. 

Renjun can feel himself getting misty-eyed as everything flashes right past, in his mind’s eye. He blinks the tears back and bites on his lower lip hard, instead, choosing to focus on Jeno’s next words. 

“I know. And I know you know that a year and a half ago, in that bar, I did not say that I was over it just for the sake of saying it. I might have had some liquid courage in me, but I was not drunk. My neurotransmitters weren’t all fucked up. I was being honest. I am. But I don’t know, I – ” by now Jeno is so prominently racking his brain for words and the deer-caught-in-headlights look on his face is really amusing – “feel like the right person has not come along yet. I want to… er wait for a bit more. And just see what happens?”

Renjun smiles, Jeno surely seems to be ready for a relationship. 

“Okay, if you say so.”

* * *

Honestly Jisung has no idea about how they are going to steer the conversation towards the question they need to ask. All they have been doing is twirl strands of shrimp spaghetti with their unusually long forks and marvel at the burrata cheese salad, trying to avoid it all. The small-talk is almost getting awkward, and that’s saying a lot, considering the fact that it never happens in this group. 

Chenle doesn’t even looks up from his own plate when he says,” You have something you want to ask me.”

Jisung halts completely and the mouthful of creamy pasta starts to feel too heavy. 

Jaemin takes his time – setting his cutlery down, wiping his lips with the maroon napkin and gulping down almost a half of the glass of water and making Jisung lose his damn mind because _how the fuck is he so calm_. 

“Yes, I do.”

_Woohoo lets’s do this then. I am totally not sweating buckets already_. 

Chenle nods his head, cutting a piece of the cheese and placing a cherry tomato on it. 

“Do you have a Valentine? For the 14th.”

Jisung watches as the combination of red and white travels through the air and into Chenle’s mouth. It reminds him of the Santa hat he had torn on Christmas after having sat on it accidentally. He chews slowly, his eyes unwaveringly on Jaemin. The blue-haired boy stares back with as much intensity and Jisung feels trapped. 

Chenle doesn’t even look fazed at the question. He swallows and sniffles before letting out a decisive, “No.”

“Okay”, finally Jaemin resumes eating and Jisung does not know how he should be reacting to this interaction. _Bitch should I laugh or cry_. 

“Hm. Yeah. But don’t set me up on a blind date please. I am single a pringle and would prefer to keep things that way, thank you very much.” _I cannot believe he used that phrase_. 

“So… you are saying that uh – you are not lonely? That you don’t want anyone to hold your hand? That is what you are saying right, Chenle?”

This time he does look…affected. Taken aback. The noise around them dies down suddenly and the people do not look like people any more. They look like little chromatically coordinated blurry dots. Chenle’s eyes are so still that Jisung feels an unfamiliar shiver run down his spine. There is a strange moment and Chenle’s lower lips quivers only slightly, but there is something else, some other – unknown expression which is a stark contrast to his general expression of confidence and Jisung does not recognize it promptly. _Vulnerability?_

But now the moment is not there anymore and Jisung is hyperaware of the world around them and the reality and all the people eating finally look like people and the clinking of cutlery and it is normal again. 

Jaemin mutters,”Thought so”, under his breath. But guess who heard him? That’s right, both of them. 

Jisung still does not know how to react to all of this. He might be losing his ability to respond to stimuli. And who can blame him, honestly?

* * *

#### February 

“Mhm, Friday the 14th, at 6 p.m. – no, no, oh lord, it’s not a blind date. We know you, fucker. Also, even if it was, why the fuck would it be held at our house? You dumb or what? Shut up Chenle, it’s a get-together. What? Oh yes, this was why Jaemin was asking about it. We need to see each other if we want to continue this friendship, you know. Alcohol? Uhhh… probably. We will see. You just be there on time for fuck’s sake. Yeah, okay, I am hanging up.”

As Donghyuck detaches his phone from his ear and sets it down next to himself on the couch, four pairs of eyes turn to look at him with probing eyes and he smiles to himself. His friend might be the most annoying assholes on earth, but he has to admit, they are cute. And so, so caring, even if they pretend otherwise. _Tsunderes, was it?_

“Yeah, he has agreed. Yes, he will be there.”

Renjun lets out a sigh of definite relief and turns to Jisung who already has his phone in his hand,”You now, Sungie. Dial Jeno’s number.”

“On it.”

Jeno picks up after four rings and answers in his usual manner, deep voice drawling,”What?”

Jisung puts the call on speaker, breathes in deep and says everything as he exhales, ”You have to be at Renjun’s house on Friday the 14th for a get-together. About alcohol we don’t know yet and this is why he was asking you and yes, be there on time please.”

Five second pass and Jisung breathes in again, probably getting ready to repeat it all again, slowly this time when Jeno speaks again, “I hope it is not a blind date? I told him and Mark – “

“No, no, no it is not. Oh my, what is with you two and no faith in us– “

Renjun covers his mouth with his hand and Jisung’s voice comes out muffled and incoherent. The former shakes his head vigorously and glares at him, decapitating Jisung with that look. 

“What? Jisung what did you just – “

“N-nothing, Be there or be square. Bye-bye.”

Jisung hangs up just as Renjun lets him go and leans against the back-rest of the chair, trying to catch his breath. 

“You absolute ignoramus.”

* * *

**Lele [6:05 pm]**

yea yea am here

open the door jun

**You [6:06 pm]**

Don’t u know the code? 

Hyuck and my bdays…

**Lele [6:06 pm]**

://

**You [6:06 pm]**

Oh and – 

Get in and go straight to the terrace. 

We r all there. 

“Oh My God. The pure adrenaline. I’m shaking – Hyuck hold me please.”

Mark shakes his head disgustedly and says,”What about Jeno? Where even is he?”

Jisung is typing on his phone and doesn’t even bother to look up as he says,”He is walking up the stairs. Four more minutes, he says.”

“Well – “

The door of the terrace being opened sends a jolt through Renjun’s body and he melds further into Donghyuck’s side, clutching his arm a bit tighter.   
_Fuck, ok, let’s do this_. 

Chenle’s voice rings out in the dark, “Jun? Hyuck? Where are y’all ? Nana ? What – ouch!”

Although he can not see them from where they are hiding in the tiny room-cum-attic at the back (one of the reasons for Renjun and Donghyuck’s love for this house), they can make his frame out clearly (thanks to all the citylights) through the stained glass window and they saw him trip either over his own feet or thin air and grab the edge of the table where they had set out plates and spoons and glasses for Jeno and Chenle to eat the custard the rest of them had made and drink some cheap wine and something clatters to the ground. A spoon, perhaps? Hopefully. 

The sound seems to startle Chenle out of his wits because the next moment he is craning his neck to take a good look everywhere and he screams, “This is really not funny! Where the fuck are you ?“

Jisung looks distressed and ready to just sprint out and calm his best friend down. Jaemin softly puts a hand on his shoulder, preventing him from doing something that dumb. 

Now, Chenle really sounds like he is going to cry,”I am going. I don’t want to – “

He is interrupted by the terrace door opening yet again. He turns towards it fast enough to get whiplash. Renjun winces.

“W-who is it? Jisungie? Mark? Please just – “

“Chenle?”

Renjun thinks he might as well just combust right now. Jaemin whispers,”Shit, Jeno.”

“Chenle is it you?”

“Yes- yea, it’s me. Jeno oh my god – “

Chenle’s next words can not be heard properly because he has rushed to _hug_ Jeno. Okay? 

Jeno hugs him back and says.”Let me just –“  
He fumbles with something for a bit and then his flashlight is on and he is swinging it right in front of their faces.

The smile on Chenle’s face is wide. And bright enough to rival the sun. Radiant like the weather back in Miami, when they had saved up all their salaries and pooled in for a trip of seven days. So, so happy. 

They are just standing there like mannequins and the tension is almost tangible. The lights keep on flickering in the distance and Renjun can only thank Jeno for bettering their vision with his mobile torch. 

Chenle speaks first, as usual,”I did have my suspicions, really.”

And no amount of knowledge could have ever prepared the group for what happens next. 

They watch as Jeno extends his arms to circle them around Chenle’s waist, pulling him closer, very gently. 

_Um, what?_

This is what Donghyuck does to Renjun when they are still bitter after an argument and what Ten does to Taeyong all the fucking time, out of love, out of the warm swelling in their hearts, out of this urge to keep someone close which cannot be put into words. But this? Renjun gulps as Chenle’s find their way to Jeno’s shoulders, feathery light, and so…familiar. As if he has done this thousands of times and would choose to do this, over and over again, above everything. From the corner of his eye, Renjun can see the rest. They wear fairly bemused expressions on their faces, watching it unravel with bated breath, all huddled up together, not knowing just what the fuck was happening in front of their comically wide eyes. _Is it even my eyes anymore? Isn’t this what they call hallucinations? Or I might be losing my damn mind_. 

Jeno keeps on gazing at Chenle’s flushed face ( _because of the cold?_ ) before chuckling slightly, “I mean the number of times they asked me about you and whether you were dating someone was enough to make me anxious about them knowing already.”

_Knowing? Knowing what?_

Chenle looks genuinely surprised and he moves his hand to brush Jeno’s bangs out of his face before bringing it down to rest on the latter’s nape, “Wait what? You too? Like for real, they literally wouldn’t stop pestering me with questions about what I think of you and I was freaking out so bad on the inside because I was like totally sure they knew. Gave me the biggest scare of my life, damn!” 

_Knew whaatttt? Also, biggest scare, why?_

Jeno laughs, languidly, like they have got all the time in the world and Chenle keeps staring, not giving his eyes a second of rest. But then Jeno stops and he stares into Chenle’s eyes, penetrative as ever and his voice suddenly drops to a whisper,”Well it’s a good thing we did not give in, don’t you think?”

_We? I don’t –_

Renjun wasn’t even standing in front of him but he could practically envisage the cogs turning in Jeno’s head as he noticed how the latter’s eyes moved from Chenle’s eyes to somewhere…lower? 

Chenle seems to notice this last observation too, as his eyes move downwards as well and his voice is as soft as the one he uses when he sings lullabies to put his nephew to sleep, “I think they are watching us you know? From that tiny room at the back? I heard a soft ‘fuck you’ and I’m pretty sure that was Hyuck to Jun.”

Indeed it was. _Donghyuck, you rotten dumbass. Why did you have to cuss me out just because I took your phone away?_

A pregnant pause. 

Jeno averts his eyes to the skyline as he speaks his next words, his voice deeper, “Well that’s exactly what I was hoping, because I don’t wanna hide anymore” he turns back to Chenle, his thumbs drawing circles on the latter’s hip, “And I have never been surer about anything else in my entire life.”

_Hide what exactly? This is so confusing but look at Lele!!!_

Honestly, Renjun would never admit it, but he loves it when his little Lele looks happy. And now, Chenle looks so angelically happy that Renjun can feel the joy in his own veins.. His eyes hold such a childlike wonder in them and the sparkle present could never be associated with anything but hope. So much hope. He is looking at Jeno as if he is the centre of the world, the light of his life, as if he would do anything Jeno tells him to, no matter what it is – he would do it in a heartbeat. And Jeno. Jeno looks certainly lovesick. _But how is that even –_

Jeno wets his lips and purses them before opening his mouth,”So – can I?”

_Hold on, what the actual –_

Chenle’s eyes are closed already, and he takes a breath before nodding and his voice is hoarse when he says, “Always. Always.” 

Jeno closes the gap between them and slots his lips against Chenle who hums blissfully and Donghyuck completely forgets about their situation and the fact that silence would be ideal and really fucking appreciated and starts whisper-screaming, “They are kissing! Jun, baby, they are kissing! Oh my I am going to faint what the – “ 

Renjun decided to let go, too puzzled to think of a retort better than, “I know Hyuck – I am not visually impaired contrary to your misconception. I can see and – ” his voice is soulless, “ – and yes, they are kissing.” 

Renjun might be really fucking tired of their shenanigans at this point, but even he – while being the Central Processing Unit of this godforsaken friend group, would agree that this turn of events had been Absolutely Unforeseen. He _definitely_ needed some (a lot of) time to process that. 

But nothing can ever really go right with this bunch of best friends and so when Jisung falls over Mark who falls over Renjun who falls over Donghyuck who falls over Jaemin with mirrored groans and whimpers of pain, like a bunch of dominoes in the cramped space, Chenle can only giggle into the kiss and card his fingers in Jeno’s hair as Jeno makes a show of pulling him even closer.

* * *

Jaemin’s voice is glum and raspy when he speaks after having noiselessly settled down in the living room, “That – that wasn’t our doing, was it?”

They all turn to where Chenle and Jeno were situated, all cuddled up, at the foot of the couch. 

This was still a bit awkward. 

Okay, a _lot_ awkward. 

Chenle rolls his eyes, “Obviously not, Einstein”, only to yelp in pain when Jeno flicks his forehead. 

Mark’s vocal chords still seem to be clogged and he has to clear his throat in order to say, “Just… how long guys?”

Jeno answers this time and he sounds so proud it almost breaks Renjun’s heart, “Six months. Yeah.”

At this, there are collective gasps and choruses of oh my gods and a series of exaggerated coughs and Chenle breaks out into loud giggles, hiding his face in the crook of Jeno’s neck. 

Donghyuck stops shaking the living daylights out of Renjun and asks, genuinely curious, “Honestly though Lele, how the fuck did you even keep it under wraps for six months?”

“And w- why did you do so?”, Jisung’s voice is very small but the hurt is so clear that they all have to turn to look at him. But his eyes are perpetually fixated on the ground, refusing to make any contact with the rest. And it was justified, as he had been the one to introduce Chenle to the rest of the boys, back when they were all lanky teenagers just starting high school, with no real knowledge about the mechanics of the world and eager to just live. Jisung had known the smiley Chinese practically all his life, and they had had almost all their firsts together, shared everything between the two of them and had grown up starry-eyed and happy and as the truest of friends. All the reasons why Jisung couldn’t, for the love of him, fathom why Chenle hadn’t given him even a hint about any of this. 

Chenle is sitting up straight now, his hands on his knees and is fiddling with his fingers, probably itching to pull his friend into one of his special hugs which would always calm Jisung down, when he says, “I… I am sorry Jisungie. I really didn’t think we would get this far. When I confessed to Jeno like some seven months back, I was so…certain that he considered me to be nothing but his little brother and – and I could’ve never thought he would not only accept them but also reciprocate my feeling. And I think you know why”, his voice is full of guilt and Renjun is sure he is going to start crying, any moment now. 

Jeno walks over to where Jisung has occupied the yellow armchair and crouches down on the floor, looking right at him, “Exactly. He wouldn’t believe I was here to stay.“

Jisung extends his arm to reach out for the water bottle on the window sill and takes a big sip before cradling it in his arms. 

Jeno watches him closely and continues, this time sitting on the floor completely and facing the rest, “I had to sit him down and tell him. That I had realized about my not-so-platonic feelings for him ever since that one day” he stops to take a breath and Chenle sits next to him as well, taking his hand “that day when he had arrived at the flat and found me in the bathroom, having a massive panic attack.” Jisung moves now, placing a cold hand on Jeno’s shoulder, in an effort to soothe him. 

The rest are sitting on the floor too, all huddled around the newly discovered couple, encouraging and supporting, quietly. 

“Chenle sat me through it, held my hand and rubbed my back, not leaving until I was asleep. That day, I think I got over her. Totally, entirely. And I started seeing Chenle in this different, bright light. And I was so damn happy. But – but I was just in this everlasting haze and couldn’t even – “

“Bring yourself to confess because you thought you would be using Lele as a rebound if you did so”, Jisung completes, in a hushed whisper, and Jeno can only nod. 

“But when I did, Chenle cried, he just couldn’t believe it. he said that he was afraid of what was to come. So, we decided that it would be better to not tell any of you in the early stages, since you know, y’all are bound to get intertwined with our relationship, as we saw during RenHyuck era – ” (Donghyuck smiles at Renjun like the sun, and the latter can feel his insides melting, yet again) “ – and if we broke up, it would be too late for the group to not split, and then we would be left with more than two broken hearts. So yeah, we thought we would keep it this way and reveal everything with time.”

Mark is shaking his head and Jaemin’s head is in his hands and Jisung looks pensive and Donghyuck is just hugging Renjun. 

Chenle chuckles nervously and says, “Yeah, and then we saw how blatantly you all were shipping us, and we were contemplating the revelation and what not, but then you suddenly started with those nonsensical tricks and we just…forgot about it, I guess?”

Renjun swats Donghyuck’s hands away and scoffs disbelievingly, “How do you just… I don’t know, forget?”

Chenle has two options, either to give Renjun a fabricated answer to that supposedly rhetoric question or to ignore it altogether. He goes with the second option, “Anyways, so today when Jeno looked into my eyes, I was so sure about it, you know? Like so sure about him, about us and a future together with y’all, and so I let him kiss me and you know what they say – the rest is history.”

“That whole fiasco was a little over twenty minutes ago, fuck you mean history?”

Jeno yells at the speaker, “God, Hyuck it is just a **metaphor**!”

Donghyuck is adamant,”And what am I supposed to do if Lele has no clear idea about time and its characteristics? Teach him?”

Jaemin and Mark say, in unison, at the same time, bless those platonic soulmates, “Time is a social construct Hyuck.”

Hyuck gasps loudly and starts to speak even louder, “What the fu – “

“Lord, can you all just stop for a moment? My head is throbbing real bad”, Jisung sounds irritated and the headache seems legitimate. 

The noise dies down and they are all looking away from each other. Jisung doesn’t generally sound so affected, calm and collected as he was, and this ordeal seems to have angered him. 

Chenle flinches at his tone and takes a breath before turning his head to look at Jisung and say, as gently as humanly possible, “Hey Sungie, would you like a mug of my best, steaming coffee? It helps with your headaches, right? Also, I, I am really sorry, once again. It was never my intention to hurt you, you know right? You’re my best buddy Jisung, I would never want to harm you.”

Yes, he is pouting.

The only sounds are those of them breathing, a few cars whooshing away, and the leaves of the tree right next to the open window rustling in the wind blowing, and an old song playing in the distance, the tune faded and the lyrics incomprehensible. The question of reconciliation discernible in the silence. 

Jisung stands up,“I don’t see why not, your coffee will really help, I am sure”, his mouth is stretched in the softest of smiles and his eyes are back to their normal, approachable state.

Chenle lets out a noise which could only be termed a squeak and jumps into his best friend’s arms. 

Renjun opens his mouth and says something only he could come up with (maybe with the exception of his own boyfriend), “Well, Jeno, how does it feel to know that you’re going to be under the constant surveillance of the devilish apparition that is Park Jisung, and if you try and hurt Lele in any possible way, intentional or not, you could be incinerated in your sleep ?”

Jeno laughs, looking at Chenle chatter excitedly while clinging onto Jisung’s arm and says, “I could not dream of hurting Lele, to be honest. I like him – “ he pauses, debating God knows what before resuming, slower than before “ no, I love him too much to do anything like that. “

Chenle is paralysed and Jisung can only _oh my gosh_ under his breath before his eyes widen in realization and before he can understand anything, Chenle is standing right in front of Jeno. 

His eyes are blown wide and _oh fuck is he teary-eyed_ and is voice is timid, “W-what did you say?”

Now Jeno is the one nervous and he is avoiding Chenle’s eyes with every bit of self-restraint he has and he attempts to deflect, “That I would never hurt you and – and what about the coffee, yea? Make one for me too, pl – “

Chenle grabs his jaw and turns his face to make eye contact with him and says, “After that”, in the firmest possible tone. 

Jeno’s shoulders droop and he knows he won’t be able to get away with not answering and lets go, “That I love you.”

_All this tension is demolishing my sanity_. 

Chenle keeps staring at Jeno before his face lights up like a fucking Christmas tree (much better than the fake one they’d got last year due to a tight budget) and he clutches the latter’s biceps before breathing out a “I love you too. “

“Oh”, Jeno looks hesitant but optimistic. 

Chenle nods his head vigorously and pecks Jeno’s cheek, as if to seal his words. 

Jeno rubs a hand over his face and smiles wide and bright before hugging Chenle and spinning him around and Chenle is on the verge of bursting into tears and they look really fucking happy – _they deserve it all_ – and they kiss once again, sloppy and quick – _yuck, I spoke too soon_ – and then Chenle is put down. 

Jeno doesn’t let him go, instead lacing their fingers together and Jaemin says, “Did you – have to do this here?”

“Indeed, we had to. “

“Jisung, my man loves me, can you believe it”, Chenle asks, delighted. 

Mark stops gagging momentarily only to say, “Congratulations babies, I call dibs on being the godfather of the child.”

“What – no!”

Jisung chuckles lowly, “I am so happy for you and your man who loves you, Lele. Now, Jeno, may I steal him so that he can make me some very needed coffee?”

“Sure. Please make some for the rest, too, baby.”

Renjun scrunches his nose in disgust and opens his mouth to say something sassy only to be interrupted by someone who has been suspiciously quiet for a long time and has now stood up. 

“Whatever guys, I am just relieved and really glad that you two are fucking.”

“Lee Donghyuck!!!!”


End file.
